Partially carbamated esters of poly(vinyl alcohol) have been previously employed as binders in photopolymerizable compositions. For example, British patent specification Nos. 1,351,475, and 1,416,440, disclose photopolymerizable compositions which comprise an aqueous solution of a water-soluble polymer which may be a partially carbamated ester of poly(vinyl alcohol); a water-soluble acrylic monomer which may contain a hydroxyl group; and a dispersion of a water-insoluble photopolymerization initiator. Elements which comprise a layer of the photopolymerizable composition in a dried form on a support are also disclosed. The compositions are prepared in aqueous solution at 60.degree. C. and do not contain grafted carbonate or N-substituted carbamate groups.
Partially carbamated and N-substituted carbamated esters of poly(vinyl alcohol) have been employed in gelatin-silver halide photographic materials. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,597,215 and 3,392,151 disclose the use of carbamate, N-alkyl and N-amidoalkyl or hydrazidoalkyl-substituted carbamates to improve covering power and sensitometric properties of photographic silver halide materials. U.S. Pat. No. 3,449,126 discloses the use of N-carboxyalkyl carbamated poly(vinyl alcohol) polymers as novel fog-inhibiting agents in photographic silver halide emulsions, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,547,642 discloses the use of methylol poly(vinyl urethane) in combination with gelatin to provide good dimensional stability and less curling tendency for photographic materials.
Elastomeric photopolymerizable compositions which contain a partially carbamated ester of poly(vinyl alcohol) grafted with carbonate groups have not heretofore been described as binders for photopolymerizable compositions.